FSM Essential Recap: Dodgers vs Diamondbacks - Series 50

FSM Essential Recap: Dodgers vs Diamondbacks – Series 50

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Los Angeles Dodgers (100-56) |  Arizona Diamondbacks (49-107)

 

“Listen, if you start worrying about the people in the stands, before too long you’re up in the stands with them.”

– Tommy LaSorda

 

Game 3:

 

The Dodgers ended their last regular-season road trip with a 3-0 win over the Diamondbacks. However, the Giants also won so their deficit remained at two games with six games left in the season.

Julio Urias and four relievers combined to get the Dodgers 17th shutout of the year. Urias continued to set new personal highs with his 31st start and he has now reached 179⅓ innings pitched and 190 strikeouts.

In winning his 19th game, Urias matches Zack Greinke who won 19 games in 2015. He could get the opportunity to win his 20th game next weekend.

Justin Bruihl, Joe Kelly, Corey Knebel each pitched scoreless innings following Urias and then the Dodgers handed the ball to Kenley Jansen to pitch the 9th.

Jansen gave up a leadoff single to Josh Rojas and then he struck out both Pavin Smith and Josh Vanmeter. Finally, then Ketel Marte grounded out to first to end the game.

 

For the second game in a row, the Dodger offense was provided by the home run. Corey Seager and Trea Turner hit back-to-back in the first inning to start the scoring. And then in the third inning, Seager hit his second home run to make it 3-0.

Trea Turner would follow that with a drive that went off the wall in centerfield but that would only be a long double.

That would end the scoring despite the Dodgers getting six walks. They would go 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Corey Seager and Trea Turner each hit their 100th career home run on Sunday, Seager joins teammates Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Max Muncy who have also hit over 100 or more home runs in a Dodgers uniform.

 

Game 3 Boxscore:

 

WP: Julio Urías (19-3)

LP: Humberto Mejia (0-3)

SV: Kenley Jansen (36)

HR: Corey Seager 2 (12), Trea Turner (25) 

 

 

The Dodgers will have Monday off before beginning their final regular-season homestand against the San Diego Padres. Walker Buehler will start for the Dodgers, the Padres have not listed a starter yet. The first pitch will be at 7:10 and you can watch the game on ESPN and SportsNet LA.

 

 

Game 2:

 

The Dodgers only have one more road game left on the schedule: Sunday’s finale in Phoenix. To play again on the road in 2021, they have to earn it, either by winning or tying the division or winning the wild card game. They’ll have to play better than they did on Saturday or on the current road trip that serves as a microcosm of the season.

On Saturday they lost 7-2 to the Diamondbacks, flummoxed by Zac Gallen’s fastball-changeup combo. Arizona’s ace right-hander struck out eight in his six innings, allowing only a solo home run in his final frame, by Trea Turner, one of three hits off Gallen.

“Tonight we just couldn’t figure out Gallen,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He came out and stuck it to us. We got behind early, and couldn’t recover.”

Turner added another solo home run in the ninth inning, cutting the deficit to five.

The Dodgers now find themselves two games back in the National League West with seven to play, after the Giants’ road win over the Rockies.

Through eight games on the road trip, the Dodgers are averaging 4.63 runs scored, pretty much in line with their post-All-Star-break 4.75 average. But they’re slugging just .382 on the trip through hitter-friendly parks in Cincinnati, Denver, and Phoenix. For a team that is still leading the National League with 5.03 runs scored per game on the season, it’s below expectations.

It doesn’t help that AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor, two of the mainstays of the lineup all season, are both nursing injuries. Pollock, who doubled twice Thursday and homered Friday in his first two starts back after a hamstring strain, didn’t start on Saturday. Chris Taylor, who’s been dealing with a pinched nerve in his neck for two weeks, made his third start in the last 11 games. They aren’t necessarily in a left-field platoon, but both are getting ample rest until fully recovered.

“They are both valuable to our ball club being in there, starting or off the bench. Most importantly, we’ve got to keep them both healthy,” Roberts said. “Getting AJ out of games, managing CT starts and things like that will be beneficial.”

 

Getting Taylor hitting again will help too. He was 1-for-3 on Saturday and is hitting .190/.257/.307 since the beginning of August.

The Dodgers needed more offense on Saturday because the pitching and defense combination wasn’t particularly sharp. Clayton Kershaw allowed leadoff home runs in the first and second inning, his first long balls allowed since returning from the injured list.

“A couple of bad pitches early,” Kershaw said. “You miss your spots sometimes. Hopefully, they keep it in the ballpark, but it didn’t happen tonight, so yeah, it put us in a hole early.”

Behind Kershaw, the Dodgers committed two errors, with Corey Seager and Justin Turner each throwing balls away. Turner’s led directly to a run in the fourth inning. Kershaw allowed another run in the fifth to end his night earlier than planned, thanks to three singles, though the frame was likely extended by Justin Turner throwing to second base instead of first on a would-be double play.

“It wasn’t a well-played game tonight,” Roberts said.

Kershaw was done after just 4⅓ frames, giving Dodgers starters an ugly 7.13 ERA over 24 innings in the last full time through the rotation.

“There were a few good throws in there, but obviously overall it wasn’t great,” Kershaw said.

After Kershaw left, Arizona tacked on a run against David Price and two more against Evan Phillips, each pitching for just the third time in the last three weeks. Well, at least most of the high-leverage relievers got a day of rest.

With one game remaining on the road trip, the Dodgers are 5-3. That’s a 101-win pace over the course of a season. But just like the current NL West standings, sometimes that isn’t good enough.

“Obviously we’d like to have this one back, but we have to move on,” Trea Turner said. “Tomorrow’s a new day, an early game. The only game we can win on our schedule is the next one, so that’s the one to focus on.”

 

Game 2 Boxscore:

WP: Zac Gallen (3-10)

LP: Clayton Kershaw (10-8)

HR: Trea Turner 2 (24); Ketel Marte (13), Carson Kelly (13)

 

Julio Urías starts the final road game of the regular season on Sunday with right-hander Humberto Mejia starting on the mound for Arizona. The first pitch is at 1:10 on SportsNet LA.

 

Game 1:

 

With the team ahead of them in the standings playing “catch us if you can,” the Dodgers tried to do just that in Friday at Chase Field in Phoenix. A slew of defensive gems highlighted the Dodgers’ 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks in the opener of a weekend series.

Coupled with the Giants’ win in Colorado, the Dodgers remained one game back of San Francisco in the National League West, with eight games to play.

The first play was made by AJ Pollock, playing his 344th career game at Chase Field. The former D-backs outfielder made his second start after returning to the Dodgers from the injured list earlier this week.

Pollock made his presence known immediately in the bottom of the first, leaping to catch a drive from leadoff man Josh Rojas at the left-field wall. Robbing extra bases was impressive enough, but Pollock also had the presence of mind to catch his cap after it fell off his head while making the catch.

In the next half inning, a Will Smith double was cashed in by a Justin Turner single for the first run of the game. Pollock followed by hitting an 0-2 pitch 430 feet to left-center for a two-run home run.

Pollock has 11 extra-base hits in 10 games against his old team this season, hitting .476 (20 for 42).

“This was home for me for a long time,” Pollock told Kirsten Watson on SportsNet LA. “Just coming out here, I’m familiar with the park, I’m familiar with everything. Visually it looks comfortable, I’m used to it. It feels pretty nice.”

Gavin Lux, playing in just his third professional game in center field, made the second highlight-reel grab. With one out in the fourth inning and Daulton Varsho on first base, Kole Calhoun ripped a ball to the gap in right-center, destined for extra bases. But instead of pulling the D-backs closer and putting the tying run in scoring position, the speedy Lux ran the ball down on the warning track. Varsho was already between second and third base, making for an easy double play to end the frame.

“It was incredible,” said starting pitcher Tony Gonsolin. “Any ball put in play in the air, there’s a chance it’s going to get caught.”

 

For good measure, Chris Taylor, playing in the field for the first time since Sunday after entering as a pinch-hitter, made two incredible sprawling catches in the ninth inning in left field, double-switched in for Pollock. I guess his neck is feeling better!

“I’m glad he was out there,” Pollock said to Watson. “I’m not sure I’m making any of those plays. We might still be playing if Chris Taylor wasn’t out there.”

The great catches helped Gonsolin, who even allowing those drives was very efficient. He matched his season-high with seven strikeouts in five innings. He allowed two runs, one on a home run to Calhoun, and another on a two-out single after Pavin Smith reached on a strikeout wild pitch in the fifth.

Gonsolin walked nobody for just the second time this year. Gonsolin since returning from his second injured list stint with shoulder inflammation has a 3.52 ERA, 3.68 FIP, and 29.5-percent strikeout rate in four games.

“As far as fastball command, that’s always been good. I don’t put a whole lot of stock into what he’s done this year. It’s been kind of a trying year,” Roberts said. “He’s healthy now, and looking at what he’s done recently and going forward, I think the command will show what we’re used to.”

 

 

Game 1 Boxscore:

 

WP: Tony Gonsolin (4-1)

LP: Humberto Castellanos (2-2)

SV: Kenley Jansen (35)

HR: AJ Pollock (17); Kole Calhoun (5)

 

Clayton Kershaw will start of the regular season today, with Zac Gallen on the mound for Arizona. It’s an evening start with the first pitch at 5:10 and can be seen on SportsNet LA.

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– Joe Arrigo

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